With over seventy total researchers during the summer, the Furman University Chemistry Department boasts one of the largest undergraduate research programs in the nation. The summer of 2014 marked the 50th consecutive program in which undergraduates, masters students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty mentors, and visiting faculty from area schools work together over a ten-week period in a wide variety of scientific research projects. The undergraduate students, who receive stipends for the summer, carry out independent investigations in the areas of analytical, inorganic, physical, organic and bio-organic chemistry. This program would not be possible without the support of wide variety of public and private sources.
These student/faculty collaborations produced the following research papers that were published in peer-reviewed journals.
Submissions from 2025
Computational Exploration of the Ability of the 2-Methyltetrols Produced from Photooxidation of Isoprene to Form Prenucleation Complexes, Conor Bready, Alexandra Sorescu, Caroline S. Glick, and George C. Shields
Chemically-triggered dopant release from surface modified polypyrrole films, Grant A. Richter, Allen Knepper, Paul J. Molino, and Timothy Hanks
Research at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions Published Recently in The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, B, and C, George C. Shields
Xylylethynyl Titanocene with a Microsecond Emission Lifetime Photosensitizes Singlet-Oxygen Formation and Photon Upconversion, Jack M. Sledesky, John H. Zimmerman, Henry C. London, Ethan C. Lambert, Colin D. McMillen, Matilda Barker, Kenneth Hanson, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Development of a Colorimetric Polydiacetylene, Solid-Substrate Sensor for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Human Saliva, Christopher T. Stueber, Timothy Hanks, Paul L. Dawson, Julie K. Northcutt, William T. Pennington, and Belinda Cochran
Submissions from 2024
Synthesis and Characterization of New Organoammonium, Thiazolium, and Pyridinium Triiodide Salts: Crystal Structures, Polymorphism, and Thermal Stability, Madhushi Bandara, Khadijatul Kobra, Spencer R. Watts, Logan Grady, Connor Hudson, Claudina Veas, Timothy W. Hanks, Rakesh Sachdeva, Jorge Barroso, Colin D. McMillen, and William T. Pennington
Supporting STEM Success Through Prematriculation Undergraduate Research, Lynn Breyfogle, Karen Castle, Xiaoyan Liu, and George C. Shields
Stability and Structure of Potentially Atmospherically Relevant Glycine Ammonium Bisulfate Clusters, Annapoorani Hariharan, Conor J. Bready, Jack G. Ajello, Samantha H. Black, George C. Shields, and Christopher J. Johnson
The Synthesis and Crystallographic Characterization of Emissive Pt(II) and Au(I) Compounds Exploiting the 2-Ethynylpyrmidine Ligand, Sarah L. McDarmont, Mary Jo McComick, Paul S. Wagenknecht, Lily E. Duplooy, Jared A. Pienkos, and Colin D. McMillen
Impact of Intracellular Proteins on μ-Opioid Receptor Structure and Ligand Binding, Caitlin E. Scott, Leah A. Juechter, Josephine Rocha, Lauren D. Jones, Brenna Outten, Taylor D. Aishman, Alaina R. Ivers, and George C. Shields
Ligand-to-metal charge-transfer states in emissive d0 metallocenes: Design strategies for titanocene based photocatalysts, Paul S. Wagenknecht
Investigation of the Effect of the Trifluoropropynyl Ligand on Pt(N^C^N)X (X = Cl, C2CF3) Complexes, J. H. Zimmerman, B. J. Cahill, W. M. Thomas, J. S. McCarthy, C. D. McMillen, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Submissions from 2023
Conducting research at primarily undergraduate institutions, Nicholas D. Ball, Maria A. Gomez, Brian P. Rempel, Elaine R. Farkas, Tori E. Makal, George C. Shields, Carol A. Parish, Blakely W. Tresca, Elizabeth G. McGinitie, and Emily Edwards
Design Strategies for Luminescent Titanocenes: Improving the Photoluminescence and Photostability of Arylethynyltitanocenes, Matilda Barker, Thomas J. Whittemore, Henry C. London, Jack M. Sledesky, Elizabeth A. Harris, Tiffany M. Smith Pellizzeri, Colin D. McMillen, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Garcinolic Acid Distinguishes Between GACKIX Domains and Modulates Interaction Networks, Meghan E. Breen, Stephen T. Joy, Omari J. Baruti, Matthew S. Beyersdorf, Madeleine J. Henley, Samantha N. De Salle, Peter D. Ycas, Azya Croskey, Tomasz Cierpicki, William CK Pomerantz, and Anna K. Mapp
Quantum chemical modeling of organic enhanced atmospheric nucleation: A critical review, Jonas Elm, Daniel Ayoubi, Morten Engsvang, Andreas Buchgraitz Jensen, Yosef Knattrup, Jakub Kubecka, Conor J. Bready, Vance R. Fowler, Shannon E. Harold, Olivia M. Longsworth, and George C. Shields
Prebiotic dimer and trimer peptide formation in gas-phase atmospheric nanoclusters of water, Shannon E. Harold, Skyler L. Warf, and George C. Shields
The driving effects of common atmospheric molecules for formation of clusters: the case of sulfuric acid, formic acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and dimethylamine, Olivia M. Longsworth, Conor J. Bready, and George C. Shields
The driving effects of common atmospheric molecules for formation of clusters: the case of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and dimethylamine, Olivia N. Longsworth, Conor J. Bready, Macie S. Joines, and George C. Shields
Mass spectrometry imaging of hair identifies daily maraviroc adherence in HPTN 069/ACTG A5305, Elias P. Rosen, Nicole R. White, William M. Gilliland Jr., Roy R. Gerona, Monica Gandhi, K. Rivet Amico, Kenneth H. Mayer, Roy M. Gulick, and Angela D. M. Kashuba
Submissions from 2022
Probing Free Energy of Small Water Clusters: Revisiting Classical Nucleation Theory, Ali C. Afzalifar, George C. Shields, Vance R. Fowler, and Robin H.A. Ras
The Driving Effects of Common Atmospheric Molecules for Formation of Prenucleation Clusters: The Case of Sulfuric Acid, Formic Acid, Nitric Acid, Ammonia, and Dimethyl Amine, Conor J. Bready, Vance R. Fowler, Leah A. Juechter, Luke A. Kurfman, Grace E. Mazaleski, and George C. Shields
Amino Acids Compete with Ammonia in Sulfuric Acid-Based Atmospheric Aerosol Prenucleation: The Case of Glycine and Serine, Conor J. Bready, Sara Vanovac, Tuguldur T. Odbadrah, and George C. Shields
A Plausible Prebiotic One-Pot Synthesis of Orotate and Pyruvate Suggestive of Common Protometabolic Pathways, Alyssa P. Clay, Rachel E. Cooke, Ravi Kumar, Mahipal Yadav, Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, and Greg Springsteen
Polydopamine: a bioinspired adhesive and surface modification platform, Hannah Feinberg and Timothy W. Hanks